Tengu Taiji: a lively and comical animated folk tale from an early Japanese pioneer
Noburu Ofuji aka Fuyo Koyamano, “Tengu Taiji” (1934) A very comical tale about a town
Tag: Comedy
Pinki: a modern fairy-tale of self-discovery through memories of old technology
Hyunsuk Kim, “Pinki” (2018) Initially looking like a Korean mash-up of Neil Blomkamp’s “District 9”
Final Offer: implausible plot made enjoyable by great acting and fast minimal dialogue
Mark Slutsky, “Final Offer” (2018) The premise is the height of implausibility but great acting
Australian and New Zealand Films
All flash and style but little substance in “Occupation: Rainfall”
Luke Sparke, “Occupation: Rainfall” (2020) Here’s a brisk and flashy science fiction action film done
Tribes: fast, witty lesson on identity politics as tool of control
Nino Aldi, “Tribes” (2020) In societies obsessed with categorising people on the basis of arbitrary
Italian and Italian-language Films
The Goddess of Fortune: how the passage of time and random events change people and relationships
Ferzan Özpetek, “The Goddess of Fortune / La Dea Fortuna” (2019) On the surface, this
Australian and New Zealand Films
Nullarbor: laconic little road movie on the need to work together
Alister Lockhart, Patrick Sarell, “Nullarbor” (2011) Across the longest stretch of straight road through the
Retouch: a character study about struggle and sudden unexpected freedom
Kaveh Mazaheri, “Retouch” (2017) A stunning character study of a married woman, submissive to her
Fill Your Heart with French Fries: dark comedy about grief, social media celebrity and exploitation
Tamar Glezerman, “Fill Your Heart with French Fries” (2016) Based on an actual incident in
Men in Black II: some good ideas go to waste in a cheap sequel
Barry Sonnenfeld, “Men in Black II” (2002) Five years after the events of the original